Cultivation begins with earning spirit stones

Chapter 56 The Zhang Family

There was silence for a moment.

"You're back?" Zhang Chongyuan's voice was a little hoarse.

"I'm back." Zhang Lin nodded.

Zhang Chongyuan looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on the Taoist robe he was wearing for a moment, but he didn't ask any questions and simply stepped aside.

"Come in."

Zhang Lin stepped into the main hall.

The furnishings in the hall remained unchanged: rosewood tables and chairs, calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, and celadon vases on the table—everything was just as it had been when he left.

It just had an indescribable sense of desolation.

Zhang Chongyuan sat down in the main seat and pointed to the chair next to him.

"sit."

Zhang Lin sat down.

The father and son remained silent.

Before long, a series of hurried footsteps came from the inner courtyard.

A woman ran out from the back room.

The woman was in her forties, with a kind face, gray hair at her temples, and red, swollen eyes, clearly having just cried.

As soon as she saw Zhang Lin, tears streamed down her face.

"Lin'er, Lin'er!" The woman rushed over, hugged Zhang Lin tightly, and cried uncontrollably, "You...you child, how could you leave without a word?"

"Do you know how worried your mother was about you? Do you know how your mother has been these past few months?"

Zhang Lin's body stiffened.

This is Wang, the original owner's mother.

An ordinary person.

He had never met her, but the original owner's memories told him that she was a gentle and kind woman who was extremely good to her son.

Zhang Lin remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted Wang's back.

"Mother, I'm back."

Wang cried even harder.

"You've lost weight, and your face isn't as rosy as it used to be. You must have suffered so much out there..."

Zhang Chongyuan sat in the main seat, watching this scene. His eyes were also a little red, but he didn't say anything. He just picked up his teacup and covered his face.

Wang cried for a long time before she gradually stopped.

She held Zhang Lin's hand, looking him up and down, saying things like he'd lost weight, gotten darker, and grown taller, going on and on and on.

Zhang Lin showed no impatience, simply listening quietly and occasionally nodding in response.

Zhang Chongyuan spoke only after Wang's emotions had calmed down a bit.

"Alright, the child just got back, let him rest. Tell the kitchen to start preparing the meal, and cook a few more dishes tonight."

Wang wiped away her tears, nodded, glanced at Zhang Lin one last time, and then reluctantly went to the back room.

Only the father and son remained in the main hall.

Zhang Chongyuan put down his teacup and looked at Zhang Lin.

"Where have you been these past few months?"

"Qingyun Town, Shangqing Temple," Zhang Lin said without hiding anything, "I cultivated there for several months."

"Shangqing Temple?" Zhang Chongyuan frowned slightly. "That small sect on the border of the Southern Wilderness Continent? What kind of future can their techniques possibly have?"

Zhang Lin shook his head: "Although the cultivation method is rudimentary, it is enough to lay a foundation. I cultivated there from the early stage of Qi Refining to the middle stage, and later I had some opportunities, and now I am at the late stage of Qi Refining."

Zhang Chongyuan paused, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

"Late stage of Qi Refining?"

"Yes."

Zhang Chongyuan remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding.

"You are stronger than your father. I have cultivated for twenty years and I am only at the early stage of Qi Refining, while you have reached the late stage of Qi Refining in just a few months."

He paused, then said, "It seems you do indeed have talent."

Zhang Lin did not respond.

Zhang Chongyuan then asked, "What are your plans next?"

"I have already joined the Danxia Sect. In twenty days, I will go to the Danxia Upper Sect in Yunmeng Continent to formally become a disciple."

Zhang Chongyuan's hand trembled, and the tea in the teacup spilled out.

"Danxia Sect? One of the Nine Great Mystic Sects?"

"Yes."

Zhang Chongyuan put down his teacup, stood up, and paced back and forth in the hall.

His steps were hurried, clearly indicating that he was in a state of great turmoil.

"Danxia Sect... Danxia Sect..." he murmured to himself, then suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zhang Lin. "How did you become a member of the Danxia Sect?"

"I participated in the alchemy competition at the Danxia Sect's Qingxuan City branch and won first place, thus being accepted as an outer disciple."

Zhang Chongyuan took a deep breath and slowly sat back down in his chair.

He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

That smile contained relief, bitterness, and something else that was hard to describe.

"Your father has cultivated for twenty years and has never even seen the mountain gates of the Nine Great Mystic Sects. You, on the other hand, became an outer disciple of the Danxia Sect in just a few months."

He shook his head and sighed.

"That's enough, that's enough. You have your own path, your father can't control you anymore."

Zhang Lin looked at him, a slight stirring in his heart.

This middle-aged man, though only at the early stage of Qi Refining and merely a minor official, possessed the heart of a loving father.

The original owner must have felt guilty for a long time after running away from home.

"Father," Zhang Lin began, "it was my fault for running away from home. I've caused you and Mother so much worry these past few months."

Zhang Chongyuan waved his hand.

"Let bygones be bygones, it's good that you're back."

He paused, then said, "There's just one thing you need to explain."

Zhang Lin knew what he was going to say.

"The Yu family?"

"The Yu family." Zhang Chongyuan nodded, his expression grave. "Your elopement has enraged the Yu family, and the relationship between the two families has almost been severed."

"Yu Youwei, the youngest daughter of the Yu family, has had her reputation damaged by your elopement, and no one dares to come to propose marriage to her since."

Zhang Lin was silent for a moment, then said, "This is my fault, and I will give the Yu family an explanation."

Zhang Chongyuan looked at him with a complicated expression.

"How do you plan to explain this?"

"Let's go to the Yu family to apologize first and see how we can make amends," Zhang Lin said. "If the Yu family has any requests, as long as they are not excessive, I will agree."

Zhang Chongyuan shook his head.

"Things aren't that simple. The Yu family doesn't want spirit stones or pills; they want an explanation."

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you run away from the marriage? Why did you look down on the Yu family's daughter?" Zhang Chongyuan sighed. "Yu Zhengyuan, the head of the Yu family, is a man who cares about his reputation. His daughter was jilted, and he couldn't swallow this insult."

Zhang Lin pondered for a moment and said, "I will go to the Yu family tomorrow."

Zhang Chongyuan glanced at him and nodded.

"That's good, the sooner the better. The longer it drags on, the more difficult things will become."

As evening fell, the sun began to set.

Wang personally cooked a table full of dishes, including braised pork, steamed fish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and old hen soup, all of which were Zhang Lin's favorites.

The family of three sat around the table, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Wang kept piling food onto Zhang Lin's plate, making the bowl overflow.

"Eat more, eat more. You must not have eaten properly while you were out."

Zhang Lin did not refuse and ate them all.

Zhang Chongyuan sat opposite, holding a wine glass, slowly sipping his drink, occasionally glancing at Zhang Lin with a complex expression.

After the meal, Wang went to clear the dishes, and Zhang Chongyuan called Zhang Lin to the study.

The study is small, with bookshelves on all four sides, filled with books.

On the table lay an unfinished painting, depicting a landscape, executed with skillful brushwork and possessing a certain charm.

Zhang Chongyuan sat down behind his desk and pointed to the chair opposite him.

"sit."

Zhang Lin sat down.

Zhang Chongyuan took a wooden box from the drawer and placed it on the table.

The wooden box was small, made of sandalwood, with runes engraved on it, and faintly glowing with spiritual light.

"This was passed down from our ancestors." Zhang Chongyuan pushed the wooden box over. "Now that you're at the late stage of Qi Refining and have joined the Danxia Sect, I don't know if you'll still need this."

Zhang Lin took the wooden box and opened it.

Inside the box were a jade slip, a roll of animal hide, and a token.

The token is cyan in color, with the character "Zhang" engraved on it, and cloud patterns along the edge, its spiritual light restrained.